No problem if we don’t get anything: Mamata

October 8th, 2009 Lesbians in military discharged more than gay menSAN FRANCISCO — Pentagon statistics obtained by University of California researchers show that lesbians were discharged under the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy at a much higher rate than gay men. Every military branch dismissed a disproportionate number of women in 2008 under the policy banning openly gay servicemembers.

July 26th, 2009 KOLKATA - Railways Minister Mamata Banerjee Sunday expressed concern over the skyrocketing prices of essential commodities, saying it has endangered the people's economic security. "I am very upset with the recent price-rise in the country.

July 22nd, 2009 KOLKATA - Railways Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee Wednesday demanded an end to the joint security operation against Maoist rebels in the trouble-torn belt of Lalgarh in West Bengal. "The joint operation should stop," Banerjee said and emphasised the need for talks with Maoists to solve the issue.

July 10th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Indian Railways has over 1.7 lakh vacancies for various grades, which will be filled in after reviving the existing recruitment process, Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee informed the Rajya Sabha today. Replying to a question, Banerjee said the review of the Railway Recruitment Board (RRB) would also examine regional aspirations and problems raised during the railway recruitment process in Maharashtra, Assam, and Karnataka.

July 9th, 2009 NEW DELHI - Railways Minister Mamata Banerjee Thursday said her ministry would look at providing infrastructure and land for setting up Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs). "We might even look at building IITs in the future," Banerjee told the Lok Sabha in a discussion on the railway budget.

July 3rd, 2009 NEW DELHI - Aware of Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee's temper, Congress president Sonia Gandhi Friday gestured her party MPs not to upset her when she presented the railway budget in the Lok Sabha. Banerjee clashed with Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) MPs as she began her budget speech.

June 14th, 2009 HOWRAH - Known for being the voice of the voiceless, Railways Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday ordered officials to reduce the exorbitant price range of food available on board a new express train. Banerjee, who arrived here to flag off the Kandari Express between Howrah and the tourist resort of Digha in East Midnapore district, expressed annoyance over the price-chart, saying she "didn't agree with it".

May 16th, 2009 KOLKATA - Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee registered her sixth consecutive victory from the Kolkata South Lok Sabha seat, trouncing her nearest rival, Rabin Deb of Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) by 219,571 votes. Banerjee, who has been winning from this seat since 1991, had defeated Deb in 2004 also.

April 29th, 2009 KOLKATA - The Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) prime ministerial candidate, L K Advani, on Wednesday laid the onus on Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee to choose between the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) and the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). Talking to reporters at the airport after arriving in the city to campaign for the elections, Advani said, "Mamata has to decide whether she wants to join the NDA or stay with the Congress." Advani clarified that the decision to leave the NDA and join hands with the Congress was solely taken by Banerjee.

April 22nd, 2009 KOLKATA - Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee Wednesday filed her nomination papers from the Kolkata-South constituency in West Bengal for the Lok Sabha elections. Mamata was accompanied by senior Trinamool leaders Partha Chattopadhyay, Kalyan Banerjee, Sovan Deb Chattapadhyay and nearly 300-odd supporters.

April 12th, 2009 KOLKATA - Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee will share the campaign platform with Congress president Sonia Gandhi April 27 at a rally in West Bengal's Jangipur, from where External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee is seeking re-election to the Lok Sabha. This was decided at a late Saturday meeting between Mukherjee and Mamata at the former's south Kolkata residence.

April 12th, 2009 NEW DELHI - It was an unusual sight. Residents of South Kolkata were startled to find hundreds of Mamata Banerjees walking in a procession, canvassing for votes for the Trinamool Congress chief.

March 15th, 2009 NEW DELHI - A group of Trinamool Congress workers came all the way from Nadia district in West Bengal and held a demonstration before the spartan single-storey residence of party chief Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata, asking for poll nominations. This prompted a top party leader to say: 'Just because 'didi' (Banerjee) is so approachable and lives in a shabby house, you had the guts to come here.

March 14th, 2009 KOLKATA - The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Friday fielded a woman candidate against Mamata Banerjee for the Lok Sabha's Kolkata South seat after Trinamool Congress snapped ties with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) to team up with the Congress in West Bengal. BJP sources here said the party's state Mahila Morcha (women's wing) president Jyotsna Banerjee has been nominated for the prestigious constituency.

March 2nd, 2009 KOLKATA - West Bengal state Congress president Pranab Mukherjee and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee Sunday night held talks to forge an alliance between the two parties for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. Senior Congress leader K.